Mitsukoshi Department Store - Food Basement

One of the many vendors in the basement of Mitsukoshi

I admit it…I’m what you would call an impulse buyer. I’m the person stores are targeting when they put items near the check-out counter or offer free samples. Not only do I love trying samples, usually you’ll find me buying the product, either out of guilt or because I genuinely enjoyed what I tried.

So, walking into the food and omiyage (gift) basement at Mitsukoshi is my heaven…and my wallet’s hell. There is a vast array of foods to try and the good folks at Mitsukoshi are more than happy to shove samples at you left and right – but only in the most gracious way possible, of course!

Custard Cream (top) and Chocolate Cream (bottom)-filled Waffle Sandwiches

As soon as you walk in, you are assaulted by all of the sights, sounds and smells. I’m offered green tea, senbei (rice crackers), chiffon cake, waffle sticks (yes, these are as awesome as they sound!), macaroons, dried fruits, honey, sake, fishcake, yakitori (grilled chicken) shumai…and the list goes on. And I try them all because it would be rude to say no. At least, that’s what I tell myself as I walk down each aisle. Then I drag my poor husband to each new place exclaiming how delicious each item is and make him try some too!

Custard Pudding from Kojima-tei

But the double-edged sword of these free samples is the guilt I feel as I tell the seller how “oishii” (delicious) each food is, but don’t buy any. And they never make you feel bad about just trying their food and passing on, which makes me feel worse… So invariably, I’ll bring out my wallet and buy “just a little something” from each of them.

Maple Sugar Waffle on a Stick

Now, I could just walk past without trying their samples, but I’m in Japan and it seems silly to pass up the opportunity to try new foods that I can’t get back home. So, even though my wallet is much lighter, I always leave with a smile on my face and a very happy and full stomach.

Kero's tip: Most large department stores have food basements filled with terrific foods to sample and buy. Instead of going to a restaurant, consider picking up some of the hot and cold prepared foods for your next meal.